Courses

ILS - Immediate Life Support

The Resuscitation Council (UK) Immediate Life Support (ILS) course was launched in 2002. It was developed in response to a demand from healthcare professionals who may have to act as first responders and treat patients in cardiac arrest until the arrival of a cardiac arrest team.

Each year, on average, 11,000 courses are held and 92,000 healthcare professionals are trained.

Who is this course suitable for? The ILS course is suitable for doctors, medical students, nurses, nursing students, midwives, healthcare providers such as physiotherapists, dentist and ambulance technicians. It may also be suitable for fire service technicians, police personnel and prison officers.

Learning outcomesThe ILS course teaches the knowledge and skills to:

identify the causes and promote the prevention of cardiopulmonary arrest;

recognise and treat the deteriorating patient using the ABCDE approach;

undertake the skills of quality CPR and defibrillation (manual and /or AED) and simple airway manoeuvres;

Course structureILS courses are held at centres throughout the UK and are approved and certified by the Resuscitation Council (UK). This ensures a uniformity of content and standard regardless of the centre.

The ILS course is run over one day and the course programme consists of one lecture, skill stations and cardiac arrest simulations (i.e. CASTeach).

The half-day recertification ILS course is only available to those within one year of the expiry of their Resuscitation Council (UK) ILS provider certificate. If more than a year has elapsed since the expiry of the ILS certificate the full ILS course must be attended.

Assessment and Certification Assessment is continuous and is guided by the assessment forms provided for each core skill (e.g. initial resuscitation and assessment, and airway management). Copies of the assessment forms should be forwarded to the candidate with their manual.

Successful candidates receive a Resuscitation Council (UK) ILS provider certificate, which is valid for one year. The ILS course is recognised for up to 5 continuing professional development (CPD) points.

Pre-course preparation The manual is sent to candidates two weeks before the start of the course. Candidates are expected to have prepared for the course by reading the manual. Some centres may send candidates an MCQ paper which support candidate learning.

ILS courses are held throughout the year at centres across the UK. To apply, candidates should search for a course below contact individual course centres for application details. Course fees are decided locally by the course centre. For further information on any aspect of the course, please contact the ILS Co-ordinator at ILS@resus.org.uk